Arkansas Travels to Gainesville in SEC Game of the Week

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

This week’s slate of SEC games will not be the sexy matchups we saw in the conference last week with LSU at Georgia and an upstart and confident Ole Miss team going into Alabama to take on the Crimson Tide, but there are still some intriguing underrated matchups. This week features the most conference games we’ve had all season with six, as only an idle Texas A&M and Alabama (who is playing Georgia State) are the only two not playing an SEC opponent.

My game of the week will take place in Gainesville, where the Razorbacks bring their physical running attack and talented defensive line into the Swamp to take on one of the best defenses in the nation and an improving Gators offense.

The undercard of the weekend for the second week involves Ole Miss, who takes on that other team in the state of Alabama when they travel to Auburn to take on the Tigers in a game that should feature a lot of points. A lot of similarities exist between the two teams and if you like fast-paced offenses, then this is the game for you.

Rounding out the trifecta of top games this weekend is the one in Nashville, where Missouri puts their undefeated record on the line at Vanderbilt. This game will be the Tigers' biggest test, and the loser could find themselves scrambling late in the season for bowl eligibility.

To see my predictions for these aforementioned games and the LSU at Mississippi State, Kentucky at South Carolina and Georgia at Tennessee games, click next at the top right corner.

I went 7-1 last week as I incorrectly picked the Georgia game for the third time this season to bring my season record to 45-5.

Georgia State at No. 1 Alabama

John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

What does Alabama possibly gain in a matchup against Georgia State? How does this help them beat LSU? Alabama will barely break a sweat on Saturday afternoon and will be tested more this week in practice. Alabama wins 55-7.

No. 6 Georgia at Tennessee

Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports

Both teams won close games last week, but Georgia's came vs. LSU while Tennessee's came vs. South Alabama. It could get ugly fast if the Vols can't make some plays on offense to keep the ball away from a prolific Bulldogs offense. Georgia wins 45-20.

No. 24 Ole Miss at Auburn

John Reed-USA TODAY SPORTS

Ole Miss had a wake-up call at Alabama last weekend and realized how far they still have to go to get on their level, but the defense played great with the exception of two long runs. The Rebels take on an Auburn team who was idle last week, and face an uptempo offense with a defense they should be able to exploit. There should be a lot of points in this game, but I like Ole Miss to score a few more. Ole Miss wins 35-27.

Arkansas at No. 18 Florida

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

This game between Arkansas and Florida is going to be a throwback to the classic smash-mouth style of play we used to see on a weekly basis in college, but has been not as frequent with the advent of the spread and no-huddle offenses. The Razorbacks' philosophy is simple: they are going to try run, run, and run some more against this outstanding Gators defense with Alex Collins and Jonathan Williams. On defense, they are going to try to generate pressure with their front four and get to Tyler Murphy to get him rattled. I'm going with my gut here and think Arkansas pulls off the upset 21-20

No. 10 LSU at Mississippi State

Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

LSU will be on traveling to Mississippi State, who has not defeated the Tigers since 1999 and despite having an extra week of preparation after their bye week. They will have trouble stopping the LSU offense and making enough explosive plays against their defense with questions at quarterback. LSU wins 41-17.

Missouri at Vanderbilt

Don McPeak-USA TODAY Sports

I'm looking at the Missouri-Vanderbilt loser as perhaps being the odd man out when it comes to bowl season. Mizzou is off to a perfect 4-0 start, but have yet to face an SEC opponent and we don't know how good they really are yet. Vanderbilt is 0-2 in their two SEC games, and a third loss on Saturday means they'll have to win their final three games, assuming they lose to the three ranked opponents they have in October. Whoever wins this game should be all but a lock in a bowl bid, and I like Missouri to win 31-27.

Kentucky at No. 13 South Carolina

Rob Foldy-USA TODAY Sports

South Carolina has questions at quarterback, where Connor Shaw was supposed to be out two-three weeks with a sprained shoulder, but practiced earlier this week and could play according to head coach Steve Spurrier. I think that would be a mistake vs. a downtrodden Kentucky team. They should be cautious and play Dylan Thompson, who is more than capable of running the offense. No matter the quarterback, Mike Davis will be the focal point of the Gamecocks' offense and the Wildcats don't have an answer. South Carolina wins 27-10.

Ohio State shocked the world as they claimed yet another college football title last year. There are many storylines to follow this year, but here are five early predictions for the Buckeyes in 2015. Read More